I got a ticket in France (I’m from the US) in a Hertz rental and never paid it, so I too will never rent from Hertz again.

They call it the Chair Force for a reason. Getting up and walking would go against their ethos.

I’m in New Jersey, and mobile orders are big now. On the rare occasion we hit Wendy’s (I can smell it from my front door, it’s hard), we do the mobile order. I order, get in the car, park, walk in, grab it, walk out. I couldn’t imagine ordering upon arrival at this point.

I won’t pretend I haven’t done dumb shit out of rage, and perhaps I’m just fortunate to not have had my kids in the car. I think I’ve gotten a little smarter, more relaxed, the older they get. I’m kind of at a point where the only people who can really get under my skin are my kids.

Yeah, he unfortunately went too hard on the mods and it blew up one day, I was behind him when it happened, and it never got back after that. Bigger turbo, downpipe, all that jazz. This is going back probably 15 or more years at this point, but he had a trans-am ts6 after that that was an equally fun ride, absolute factory freak, but so different.

I will say, the '24 WRX seems more well equipped for steep driveways than my '13 did, that car was low. It’s a rally car and so it should look and feel like an old group B car. That sounds like a great “conversion”, because the '03 body is just such a piece of history at this point, that car is why WRX is what it is, and if you can keep it running, maybe make it a little more fun, that’s great.

I had a buddy who had a gen 1 or 2 MR2 (been so long), and that car was a lot of fun, but holy snap oversteer, very unforgiving. But hey that made it more fun, right? I preferred the predictable oversteer of my nismo 350z. I miss that car. But neither the MR2 nor the 350 are great when I have two little people to put in the back, and all of their stuff.

I had a 2013 WRX after the Nismo, and it was definitely smaller than the 2024, but my 2024 WRX is smaller than my 2018 Legacy was, that was a boat.

And I had a '99 Legacy before, and that car was fantastic. It had ground clearance, I took it offroad to places it absolutely didnt belong. Lots of fun. And very well equipped for it’s time. RIP.

So I do think even the stock F series trucks have to meet bumper height requirements. A whole separate issue are people raising their shitty truck without making adjustments to the bumpers. We see trucks and tractor trailers with Mansfield bars, yet Joe Schmo with his jacked up pavement princess does what he wants, and doesn’t even have a million dollar policy to at least remunerate the family of whomever he kills.

I appreciate that insight, as I have very little of my own. My buddy is kind of a jack of all trades, framing one day, sheetrock one day, finishing the next. I think he likes the idea of unloading the bed easily, moving from one site to the next. I seem to recall his complaint about the van being associated with needing to kinda rejig it depending on the tasks he was performing, and if he had one of those days where he’s visiting multiple sites, doing multiple jobs, the truck was just easier. But that’s my faulty memory and zero experience.

All I have is having driven ambulances. I started back on the van conversions, older F350s. The boxes were squat only, no standing room. I left for about 10 years, roughly, and upon my return the ambulances were now F450 Super Duties. Absolutely massive, couldn’t stand it. I’m a good driver, I’ll toot my own horn, but I’d ride with a bunch of people who just could not navigate the big rigs into tight driveways, but there was this desire for size, and so we had what we had. I won’t lie, they were comfortable, all air ride equipped. But they were big, and adults could get lost in front of them. They did have all around cameras, but it’s crazy to rely on them.

Since my departure (two young kids and my own business is hard to find time to volunteer at the moment), they’ve gone the way of the Sprinter-type vans, which I can appreciate. I’m sure there were some sacrifices, but I also feel like 90% of the equipment we carried was hardly used. We’re also in suburban New Jersey, so it’s not like we’re responding to places and being the only ones on scene, so someone else will show up with the gear that I’m sure they did away with.

In sum, big truck (generally) unnecessary.

Ha, he had a rape van prior to the F150. He thinks the access in the 150 is better, and who am I to judge, because I don’t live it day in and day out, so I’ll defer to him.

I get the argument, but it’s pretty obviously disingenuous.

The 250 is much less common than the 150. There are admittedly plenty of them. The 250 is bigger in every dimension.

And even my WRX towers over a Miata.

I just think Miata to 250 is a pointless comparison. And I say that agreeing that Miatas are fun and that the 250 (and even the 150) are way, way too big. I have a buddy with a 150, and it’s filled with his tools and lumber every day. I’d argue the 250 is totally unnecessary for 90% of trades, and I specify trades because your average Joe certainly doesn’t need one period.

Hopefully you don’t do this with your kids in the car anymore.

Go to Rudy’s for a porkslap, a shot, and a hot dog in the meatpacking district, five bucks.

There’s a million places to go. You can find cheap, you just might not like it. I’ve had some of my most fun times at shithole bars in the city. Many nights ended at the croc lounge, may she rest in peace, a free bar pie with every beer you order.

The judge can declare certain evidence to be confidential, not to be part of public record, for attorney’s eyes only. But with high level security clearances, the judge may not even be able to see it. So who knows!

Can you elaborate a bit, as far as where here is and what coalition? I have ideas but I don’t wanna make assumptions. And obviously that’s is you feel comfortable doing so, not trying to blow you up. But I’m interested in what’s happening elsewhere you know? And I am just not sure I trust the news.

I’m not sure you got what I meant, which was that the US may end up dragging others in its wake. Time will tell. I just know it’s not just the US that has seen a rise in right wing politics.

And so, yeah, I said it kind of tongue in cheek, but I’m concerned it’s the start of a trend. But hey, maybe there’s an asteroid inbound.

Not behind, ahead. Just you wait.

No wheezing the juice!

Disable? No. But call everyone and everything cunts to poison the AI? Works for me.

Well, that is Richie Rich we’re looking at.

Perfect Dark. Also came out after. Goldeneye was revolutionary, everybody played it. Any house I went to, we played Goldeneye.

Perfect Dark wa great, but Goldeneye seemingly scratched the itch for FPS amongst casual gamers at the time, and so it was never as popular.